Device for laying gold-leaf



(No Model.)

B. E. HASTINGS. DEVICE FOR LAYING GOLD LEAF.

Patented Apr. 26, 1898.

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NITED STATES AENI mama ROBERT E. HASTINGS, OF PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA.

DEVICE FOR LAYING GOLD-LEAF.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 602,986, dated April26, 1898.

Application filed October 8, 1897. Serial No. 654,511. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT E. HASTINGS, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, in the State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inDevices for Layin g Gold-Leaf, of which the following is aspecification.

In the art of gilding surfaces with gold leaf, the leaf in the form ofstrips or ribbons, in connection with corresponding strips or ribbons ofpaper or similar material upon the face of which the leaf is mounted andadheres, is wound in the form of rolls upon suitable cylindriform Woodenor other cores.

The leaf of these rolls is, in practice, applied directly to the surfaceto be ornamented,

by rolling the roll across the surface in such manner that the strip ofpaper and leaf, with the leaf beneath, is unwound from the roll, anddeposited or laid upon the surface, to which the leaf adheres, and fromwhich the paper is readily removable.

It is the object of my invention to provide a neat, simple, andinexpensive, device, by or through which the rolls may be readily andconveniently held and manipulated by the workman in the application ofthe leaf to the surface to be decorated.

In the accompanying drawings I show and herein I describe a good form ofa convenient embodiment of my invention, the particular subject-matterclaimed as novel being hereinafter definitely specified.

My invention comprehends,-for use in connection with the rollsdescribed, the cores of which embody axial apertures or bores, theprovision of a pair of bearing plates adapted to be removably applied toopposite sides of a core, and which have shanks adapted to projectwithin-the bore of said core for the support of said plates and to forman axle upon which the roll may rotate when the plates are held betweenthe thumb and finger of the user,and further comprehends a retaining,tension, or brake device mounted in one of said holding plates, andprovided with a shoe adapted to make contact with the exterior of theroll and prevent its untimely or undue unwinding.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of an' apparatus embodying myinvention, illustrating the manner in which the same is held between thethumb and finger of the user.

Figure 2 is a central longitudinal sectional plan of the apparatus shownin Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view in perspective of the devices shown in Figure 2, withthe roll removed.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In an. application for patent filed by me on July 26, 1897, as SerialNo. 645,968, I have illustrated and described several forms of apparatusor devices for laying gold-leaf, including the form of such device whichconstitutes the subject-matter of the present application; and in saidformer application I have claimed generically devices for laying goldleaf of which the device herein described is a type, and have also insaid application specifically claimed a form of device thereindisclosed. I do not, therefore, in the present application make genericclaims upon de vices of this class for laying gold leaf.

In the drawings,

A is the core, and a is the roll of leaf-provided paper mounted or woundupon it.

B and C are the holding plates, each provided as to its inner face witha shank,-the shanks being designated Z) and 0, respectively.

The bodies of the holding plates are conveniently in the form of disks,and of such diameter as to permit of their being conveniently heldbetween the thumb and finger of the user.

The shanks b and 0 project from opposite sides Within the bore of thecore, and together form an axle upon which,the holding plates, as shownin Figure 1, being held between the thumb and finger, and the roll beingrolled along upon the surface to be dccorated,-said roll will rotate asan axis.

The shank his conveniently formed as a hollow boss, the exterior ofwhich is approximately of the same diameter as the axial bore of thecore, while the interior diameter of said boss is approximately equal tothe exterior diameter of the shank c which is entered and capable ofslight longitudinal movement within it.

b is a spiral spring, shown as mounted upon the reduced inner end of theshank c, and

adapted, when the parts are assembled, to bear as to its free endagainst the base of the hollow interior of the boss 1).

cl is a slot or opening diametrically formed through the body of one ofthe disks, conveniently the disk B, through which is passed and in whichis seated free for longitudinal movement, the shank d of a brake deviceD.

This shank extends diametrically of the roll beyond its periphery, itsfront end being, beyond said periphery, shown as turned inwardly to forma brake shoe d In the use of the device, the user, first releasing thebrake, grasps the holding plates between his thumb and finger, and,pressing the roll against the surface to be decorated, draws it acrossthe same in the proper direction to uncoil the leaf-bearing strip ofpaper.

The holding plates are readily withdrawn from a given core after itsroll has been unwound, and applied to a core carrying a fresh roll.

The shank cl of the brake, which is normally somewhat larger than theopening d formed in the holding plate, is longitudinally split so thatsaid shank may be compressed within said aperture, and, when in place,will by reason of the expansion of its split parts against the wall ofsaid opening, retain itself temporarily in any position to which it maybe adjusted.

In the operation of the device, the brake member, whenever the use ofthe device is temporarily discontinued, is to be moved inward in orderto cause the shoe to press against the periphery of the roll, to preventit from uncoiling,said brake being, as will be understood,self-retaining in any position of adjustment in which it may be set,

The function of the spring I) is to normally maintain the holder platessprung slightly apart, so to speak, so that the inner faces of saidplates will clear the side faces of the core, ,with the result that whencompression is applied to said plates by thethumb and finger of theuser, they will be carried toward each other against the faces of thecore, incidentally compressing the spring and retard: ing the rotationof the core upon the axle in proportion to the force applied to theplates,

As a result of this arrangement the rotation of the roll in themanipulation of the device may be regulated to a nicety, and the stripof film unwound from the roll, and, in the process of application to thesurface to be decorated, drawn taut by tightening the grasp upon saidholding plates and confining said roll against rotation, at such timesas it may be desired to exert tension upon the unwound strip.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent 1. In co1nbinati0n,an axially-apertured core for a rollof gold-leaf,-a holding device for said core which embodies a transverseslot and is engaged in the aperture of said core to constitute an axleupon which the coreprovided roll rotates,and a brake consisting of ashoe provided with a bifurcated shank mounted in said slot, and adaptedby its expansion against the wall of the slot to maintain itself and theshoe in selected positions of adj ustment,substantially as set forth.

2. In combination,an axiallyapertured core for a roll of gold-leaf,apair of shankprovided holding plates one of which embodies a slot andthe shanks of which are entered from opposite ends within the apertureof the core,a separating spring acting to separate the plates,and abrake carried by one of the plates and acting upon the periphery of theroll, which consists of a shoe having a longitudinally split shankentered within the slot of the slotted plate,substantially as and forthe purpose specified.

3, In combination,an axially-apertured core for a roll of gold-leaf,apair of shankprovided holding plates one of which embodies a slot andthe shanks of which are entered from opposite ends Within the apertureof the core,a separating spring acting to separate the plates, -and abrake consisting of a shoe provided with a bifurcated shank of a normaldiameter exceeding that of the slot, entered and compressed within saidslot,--substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have hereuntosigned my name this 7th day of October, A. D. 1897.

ROBERT E. HASTINGS. In presence of- J. BoNsALL TAYLOR, F. NORMAN DIXON.

